photo
caption:ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL: Sarah (Diane Lane, left), after learning that
Jake (John Cusack) is in love with her, in spite of her earlier gaffes and
missteps, swims to his boat to beg his forgiveness and persuade him that she
is in love with him.end
caption.

Must Love Dogs: Must Love a Parade of Liaisons to Like This Desperate for a Laugh Romp

Movie Review by Kam Williams

Returning to the dating scene has never been easy for the recently divorced, and the Electronic Age has not made it any less awkward, if we are to believe the premise of Must Love Dogs. Sarah Nolan (Diane Lane) has been legally separated for eight months, but the sting of being abandoned by her husband has made her reluctant to look for another soul mate.

Fortunately, Sarah has a large Irish family which tries to force her back into social circulation, with mixed results. Her sisters, Carol (Elizabeth Perkins) and Christine (Ali Hillis), peruse dating ads on the Internet and persuade Sarah to meet with a great-sounding guy who turns out to be her widowed father, Bill (Christopher Plummer).

Her sisters secretly post a graduation picture of Sarah on an on-line dating service's web site with a misleading personal profile which reads, "Voluptuous, sensuous, alluring and fun. DWF seeks special man to share starlit nights. Must love dogs."The object is to generate as much interest in Sarah from potential suitors, whose profiles are equally, or more misleading. Sarah will have to kiss many frogs on the way to finding her Prince Charming. So unfolds Must Love Dogs, an insult to the viewers intelligence, and lacking charm and chemistry between the leading actors.

The film was adapted from the novel of the same name by its director, Gary Goldberg, an Emmy Award-winning scriptwriter best known for writing episodes of the television sitcoms Alice, M*A*S*H, The Bob Newhart Show, Family Ties and Lou Grant. His résumé helps explain why this film sticks to silly slapstick, failing to get around to making a mature statement about relationships.

Before Sarah accepts the advances of Mr. Right, Jake (John Cusack), she first pursue a series of liaisons with a parade of unacceptable suitors.

Given the title of the picture, canine aficionados should know that Sarah borrows a big, sloppy Newfoundland named Mother Teresa.